Manufacture of sports implements and apparatus therefor



Jan. 7, 1930. .s. M. JACOB Er AL MANUFACTURE OFSPORTS IMPLEMENTS AND APPARATUS THEREFOR Filed April 21, 1927 Patented Jan. 7, 1930 UNI-TED STATES j PAT-E NT oF-F ioE JSYDNEY MONTAGUE JACOB, on LONDON, ENGLAND, AND JAMES HER-MANN.

on SIMLA, INDI FIELD,

.MANUFACTURE OF SPORTS IMPLEMENTS AND..APPARATUS THEREFOR Application filed-April 21, 1927, Serial No. 185,604,"and in Great BritainsApril' 30,. 1926.

A This invention comprises improvements-in or relating to the manufacture of sports 1mplements and apparatus therefor. It is well known that sports implements such for exam- ;u 5 ple as tennis racquets, golf clubs, cricket bats and the like should not only be ofa suitable weight but that the weight should be so distributed 'that the racquet. orthe like has a good balance. It has not hitherto, however, been appreciated that this balance is a function of the moment of inertia of the implement as it'is being swung and that a given recquet may therefore require quite a dif ferent force to swing it, from another given racquet, although both may be of the same weight and-have theircentre of gravity at the same distancefnom the-gripping point.

lVe have found-thatthe-true dynamic balance can be determined by swinging'the implement in the plane in which'the balance is desired to'be found about any convenient axis, and

noting the period of oscillation. Ifthe axis about which the implement-is-swung is not coincident with :the centre of grip, suitable j 26 mathematlcal corrections can read ly be ap plied.

According to the: present invention, a method of manufacture of sports implements (forjexample tennis or like racquets) 1s char- 3 'acterizedby determining the dynamic balance 1 of U moving-weight until: a desired dynamic bal ance is attained.

tus for testing the dynamic-balance of sports implements (for example, tennis 'ra'cquets) comprising in combination an attachment (for example, a clamp) to be secured to the period of swing above referred toand from it to determine a number which will accurately as express the' dynamic balancemid willbean i instrument under manufacture by"- swlnging itas a pendulum and adding orre The persent invention also ineludesapparaQ implement, supportingeelements upon the at tachment,- and a bracket provideclwith'bear implement can swing thereon. WVithJsuch an apparatus attached, say, to a tennisracquet it is possible rapidly to determine .Jthe' strictly comparable with a corresponding number found for any other racquet;

' The balance of a racquet is not necessarily the same-in different planes andthe apparatus is conveniently suclith'at the dynamic-bal- V 'a'nce can be readily 'cl'etermind'in two different planes at right angles, to *one'an'other. The present invention, therefore, also-comprises apparatus for. testing .the dynamic balance of sports implements in which. there are two sets of supporting elements upon'the attachment, eachhaving a pair of bearing surfaces to ensure the racqu'et swlnging 1 in a definite vertical plane and dlsposedwitl'itheir -;pairs of bearing surfaces in-vertical'planes which are at a definite angle (for-example, a

right-angle) toeach other.

One form of apparatus, speciallydesi'gned for'the application of the invention .totennis racquets comprises-in combination a-box- I shaped clamp to be secured-to the tennis-raci quet by means of clampingplates and screws, two sets o'fdownwardly prejectingpins upon said ola-1np,saidsets being disposed in vertical planes Which are at r-ightangles'to-eachother, and a' .bra'c-ket comprising two arms spaced apart by.- a s'uflicient distance to receive the clamp between them and to-"form' bearings for thej 'p'ins, *saidvbearings supporting the clamp so that it and the tennis-racquetmay be-swung' upon thebracket either-in one vertical plane or in another Vertical plane at right-angles to the'firstplan'e'. -Agauge-bar tmaybe provided fordetermining the distance at which the clamp is fixed from the'end of the handle of the implement.

- The accompanying drawings. illustrate one suitable form of the apparatus- Figure l is a.side-elevation, shown partly tached thereto. 7 c

Figure 2 is a plan-view of the same clamp. Figure 3 is a perspective .VieW showing the clamp resting upon the bracket and a portion of the 'racquet.

. numeralsindicate like parts.

Referring to'Figuresl to 3, the clamp has a box-shaped brass body-portion (1) open at opposite ends and large enough tol'slip over in section; of 1 the clamp with .ga-ugesbar at .fThroughout these drawings, like: reference the handle (2) of a racquet. Two adjacent sides of the box are provided with bosses (4) for clamping screws (5). Between the clamping screws (5) and the handle (2) of the racquet there are interposed clamping plates The length of the clamping plate (6) is approximately equal to the length of the box (1) and as each plate (6) lies loosely against the tip of its corresponding clamping screw it is free to cant in any direction and accommodate itself to the shape of the handle. Each clamping plate is bent backwardly at its ends and turned over to form two flanges (7) which embrace the exterior of the box (1) and prevent detachment of the plate (6). Upon the side of the box (1) there is secured a gauge-bar (8), the end of which (9) is bent at right angles to the direction ofthe handle of the racquet and -serves to locate the apparatus at a suitable distance from the end of the handle.

Close to the upper endof-the box and on opposite sides thereof there project two lugs 4 (10) in each of which is mounted a. downwardly-projecting pointed pin (11). The

two pins are at the same level as one another 7 and constitute point-bearings (12) about which the clamp attachment (1) and racquet (2) will swing as a single rigid body. It should be noted that it is important that the attachment 1) should be secured upon the racquet handle (2) without any possibility of play, which would upset the calculations.

A-bracket (13) for supporting thisappara tus is provided which comprisesltwo arms (14) spaced apart by a sufficient distance to receive the attachment (1) between them and to support the points" of the bearing-pins, (11) A second pair of lugs (15) are also provided upon the attachment mounted upon the other two sides ofthebox (1). These also carry bearing-pins (16) similar to those previouslydescribed, but set'in a plane at right-angles thereto. The use of this second set of bearings enables the time of swingin adirection at right-angles tothat of the firstv determination to be effected.

Inuse tests aremade by swlnging the rac quet and noting theperiodof. swing. If the time is measured over a series of, say, 100

. oscillations, a very accurate.determination of the period, correct to within about one thousandth of a second, can be-obtained and the figure representing thefactor of dynamic balance above referred tocan then beaccurately calculatedp r We claim 1. A method of manufacture of sports implements, characterized by determining "the dynamic balance offan instrument under manufacture by swinging it as a pendulum about a pivot remote from its center of gravity and adding or removing weight until a desired moment of inertia is obtained;

2. A method of manufacture of tennis racquets, characterized by determining the dynamic balance of the tennis racquet under manufacture by swinging it as a pendulum about a pivot remote from its center of gravityand adding or removing weight until a desiredmoment of inertia is obtained.

3". Apparatus for testing the dynamic balance of sports implements comprising in combination a clamp to be secured to the implepl'ement, supporting elements upon the clamp,

and a bracket rovided with bearin 's toen- P o gage sa1d supporting elements and so to supportthe clamp that 1t and the implement can swing thereon.

65. Apparatus for testing the dynamic-balance of sports implementscomprising in combination an attachment to be'secured to the implement, two sets of supporting-elements upon the attachment,-"each having'a pair of bearing surfaces to ensure the implement swinging in a definite vertical plane and dis posed with their pairs of bearing surfaces in vertical planes which are-ate. definite angle to each other, and a bracket provided with bearings to engage said supporting elements and so to support the attachment that it and the implement can swingthereon.

6; Apparatus for testing the dynamic bill-- ance of sports nnplements comprising in combination'an attachment to be secured to the implement, two sets of supporting-elements upon the attachment, eachhaving a pair of bearing surfaces to ensure the implement. swinging ina definite vertical plane and dis-- posed with their pairs of. bearing surfaces in vertical planesYwhich are at right-angle to each other, and a bracket provided with bearings to engage said supporting; elements and so to support the attachment that it-and v the. implement can; swing thereon. I 1

'7. Apparatus. for testing the dynamic balance of. sports implements comprising in combination a box-shaped clamp adapted to be secured to the handle of the implement, two setsof downwardly ,proj ecting pins upon said clamp, said sets being disposed in vertical planes which are at right-angles to each other, and a bracket comprising two arms spaced apart by a suflicient distance to receive the clamp between them and to form bearings for the, pins, said bearings supporting the clamp so that it and the'implement may be.

swung upon the bracket either in one vertical'f plane or in another vertical plane at rightangles to the first plane.

' 8. A method of manufacture of sports implements, characterized by determining the dynamic balance of an implement under manufacture by swinging it as a pendulum about a pivot remote trim its center of gravity, noting the period of swing, adjusting distribution of weight, again swinging the implement as a pendulum about the same pivot as before end continuing adjustment of weight until a finite period of swing cor' respondingto a desired moment of inertia dynamic balance, is attained.

9. A method of manufacture of tennis racquets characterized by determining the dynamic balance of the tennis racquet under manufacture by swinging it as a pendulum about a pivot remote from its center of gravity, noting the period of swing, adjusting' the distribution of weight, again swinging the implement as a pendulum about the same pivot as before and continuing adjustment of weight until a desired period of swing corresponding to a desired moment of inertia is attained.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification.

SYDNEY MONTAGUE JACOB.

JAMES HERMANN FIELD. 

